Archive for the ‘medications’ tag

Is your medicine cabinet filled with old prescriptions? Most doctors ask that we completely finish our prescriptions, but many of us stop taking the pills as soon as we start feeling better. The thinking there is, “I’m better now, don’t need them” or “Next time I feel this way, I will already have the pills on hand and won’t have to buy more.”

Leaving aside the foolishness of not listening to your doctor, it is not a good idea to let pills age. Many pills lose their potency over time, so taking them months (or years) down the line will not provide you with much relief. Even worse, some can become toxic and should not be used at all after a certain amount of time has passed.

When disposing of any medications, it is important not to just put them in with your regular garbage. Pills and capsules melt when exposed to moisture (just as they do when you swallow them) and that will cause the medication to then seep into the ground. This will negatively impact animals that come into contact with it. Additionally, the runoff can then end up in lakes or streams, affecting fish and other forms of life.

This also applies to flushing unused pills down the toilet. There is a very good chance that the residue from these can end up in our drinking water. The water coming out of your taps is treated beforehand, but, alas, these processes do not address pharmaceutical drugs. These can also hurt animals and fish; with their smaller mass, they are more susceptible.

Fortunately, there is an easy solution. Bundle up all of your unused drugs and take them to your local pharmacy. They will see that they are disposed of in a safe manner that will not harm the environment, animals, or us.